06/08/2026
For those who don't know—and as a reminder for those who do—children and young people's mental health is in crisis. There are countless reasons why: a lack of hope for the future, a warming planet, an education system driven by relentless outcomes, families relying on food banks, and so much more.
This September, another burden will be placed on some of our most vulnerable children.
Many transgender pupils who have quietly and safely used the same toilets, changing rooms and PE facilities as their peers for years may now be stopped from doing so. Overnight, children who simply wanted to get through the school day could find themselves singled out, questioned and treated differently because they are trans.
But it won't stop there.
Any child who doesn't conform to narrow expectations of what a girl or boy is "supposed" to look like risks suspicion, accusations or humiliation. Girls who aren't seen as "feminine enough". Boys who aren't seen as "masculine enough". These policies don't just affect transgender children—they create an atmosphere where every child is judged against stereotypes.
The guidance is so unclear that many schools are already considering blanket restrictions rather than trying to navigate individual circumstances. The result is fear, confusion and exclusion.
And exclusion has consequences.
Every week I speak to parents who are at breaking point. They are desperately trying to support children who are frightened, anxious and vulnerable. They've been to CAMHS. They've spoken to their GP. They've contacted charities. They've followed every route they were told would help, only to find waiting lists, closed doors or no meaningful support at all. They feel powerless while watching their child struggle.
I don't need to read the statistics on trans mental health to understand what's at stake. I live it every single week.
As a therapeutic counsellor working exclusively with transgender young people, I sit with children who tell me they don't want to live anymore. I see the fear, the exhaustion and the hopelessness that comes from feeling like the world is telling them they don't belong. My job is to help them rebuild hope—to help them believe they have a future worth living for.
That work becomes immeasurably harder when the very institutions that should protect children instead make them feel singled out, excluded or unwelcome. Every new barrier, every public debate about whether they deserve to exist as themselves, chips away at the hope we are trying so hard to rebuild.
All of this is being presented under the banner of protecting children.
Yet if you've ever taken the time to know a transgender child or adult—not through headlines or social media, but as a person—you'll know that being transgender isn't a trend or a phase. It's simply part of who they are. Many families and trans people experience these policies not as protection, but as attempts to force young people to suppress or deny an essential part of themselves.
Trans people are not the monsters we've been made out to be. We are your neighbours, your colleagues, your classmates, your friends and your family. We're just trying to live our lives with the same dignity, safety and opportunity as everyone else.
Many trans children had happy lives at school. Now some face exclusion from sport, youth organisations and everyday spaces despite having done nothing wrong. These aren't abstract political arguments to me. They are children. They have names, dreams, families and futures. They deserve better than to become collateral damage in a culture war.
Meanwhile, there are those who celebrate every new restriction as a victory. Watching vulnerable children become political targets should never be cause for applause.
So I'm asking one thing.
Please choose kindness.
If you see a trans person—child or adult—being excluded, mocked or harassed, don't look away. If you have the chance to speak up, speak up. A quiet word of support can mean more than you'll ever know.
Trans people and cis people share the same communities. We breathe the same air. We pay the same taxes. We all want our children to grow up safe, respected and able to be themselves.
Our society doesn't need more division.
It needs more courage.
And above all, it needs more compassion.
